IGEMS Water Jet CAD CAM

Ⅰ. Introduction:IGEMS is a CAD/CAM software design for Abrasive WaterJet Cutting. Beware of that TEENKING machines support all features described in this document. In the software you can do everything from design of geometry's, to generate the toolpath and all the steps between. It's available in many languages, in metric and imperial measurements. Postprocessors and applications are in open text files that you can change. Its modular (you only need to buy the modules you have use for). This document is written like a demonstration of the software. Please click on the videos if you are interested in that feature else select next slide. Since we try to describe many features in this presentation it may look more complicated than it is, but if you look at the first video you will see how easy it can be to prepare a job with just a few click.Ⅱ. First thing is the geometry:To be able to generate a code for the machine to cut something you must have a geometry that describe the final product and the movements in the machine. The geometry must be drawn in exact size and tolerance. In IGEMS the geometry can be generated in many ways:1. You can generate the geometry in the powerful CAD-system. If you have any experience with AutoCAD, you don't need any practice. It's similar but faster and more easy to use. It contains all important CAD commands for making 2D drawings. In many case more powerful than AutoCAD itself. What about making a tangential line between two ellipses, try to do that in AutoCAD if you can? .2. You can import data from other 2D-CAD system. From the open dialog you can select 17 different file format. .3. Select parametric shapes in our library of 53 different shape types. If you have this kind of geometries then you can create parts with just some clicks. .4. Unfolding of tubes, IGEMS have many parts for duct manufacturing, right now without any K-factor .5. Make spur gears by the spur gear generator. .6. If you working with Signs then you may will be a winner. IGEMS can convert all TrueType fonts to usable geometrical information. Internet is a bank where you can find thousands of web sites where you can download fantastic information that can be used .7. If you have a camera or a scanner. Take a picture and generate the geometry automatically . This function works well if the picture have good contrast between light and dark areas. If not then use the picture as background and use the CAD commands to draw the geometry .8. A funny thing is the puzzle generator. A Waterjet is a perfect machine to make a jig saw puzzle. Maybe this not generate a lot of money, but you can design your own puzzle. .9. If you have a 5-axis cutting machine, then you need 3D information. In IGEMS you can import this information from a professional 3D systems by using STEP, IGES or STL files format10. Reverse engineering. If you have an old CNC-file and no drawing. The command NC-Reader can create geometry from most CNC-system. This is good also for checking CNC-files. .11. IGEMS have an inbuilt application language this can be used for generating geometries from various thing. For example make tables in Excel let the application generate the geometry automatically..As we know VOC is a very strong support for the vertical compensation for different thickness and quality cut, I wonder if IGEMS already count the VOC also by bigger degree cut? Example I want to cut with 30 degrees, as you know if only consider 30 degrees, it is not precisely, we must put VOC as well to compensate the un-vertical cut by the jet.Ⅲ. Second thing is to create parts:A part is a group of objects (for example: lines, arcs, circles) that describe the geometry profile. The part have also information about the quantity of parts to produce, and some other properties. To create parts from geometries is very simple1. The most important property in the part is the cutting quality. It can be up to 400 percent difference in speed between the most rough and most fine quality. Do never use a better quality than the requirements. The initial cutting quality is set when you define the part, but you can easily change the quality by using the Quality commandⅣ. Third thing is the nesting:The nesting is only needed if you should cut several parts. The nesting is about to use as less material as possible by placing the parts in a clever way on the material. In IGEMS we have six different nesting commands, made for saving material. The most of them are using the quantity properties stored in the part to nest the correct numbers. Here comes some example:1. Single nest is a special algorithm for nesting several single parts at the same time. It's more or less impossible to find this layout in a manual way .2. Rectangle nest is a special algorithm developed for nesting of rectangular parts (it don't have to be rectangles). You can select many different size of parts at the same time. The command will mix and rotate the parts that together fit best on the nesting area .3. Circle nest is another special algorithm developed for nesting of circular parts. (It don't' have to be circles). You can select many different parts at the same time. The command will mix parts that together to use as less area as possible. .4. Automatic nesting are the most flexible nesting tool. It can nest many parts. It can automatically place parts in hole of larger parts and so on. It also make an optimal layout if you want to cut with several cutting heads. . 5. Quick nest can be used if you prefer to do the nesting in a manual way. It's a combination of many CAD command like move, copy rotate joined together in a perfect user interface.6. Glide nest is similar to Quick nest but have another user interface. .Ⅴ. Time to add the toolpath:A part is a group of objects (for example: lines, arcs, circles) that describe the geometry profile. The part have also information about the quantity of parts to produce, and some other properties. To create parts from geometries is very simple1. The most important property in the part is the cutting quality. It can be up to 400 percent difference in speed between the most rough and most fine quality. Do never use a better quality than the requirements. The initial cutting quality is set when you define the part, but you can easily change the quality by using the Quality commandThere are several ways to add the toolpath to the parts.1. When using the option Single, you need one click with the mouse for each geometry to cut. Use this option when you need to control the exact start position.2. The most automatic way is to use the option Multiple. This command add all toolpath to all selected part automatically. The command knows what is inside and outside of the parts. It add the lead-ins on places where there is no collision to other parts. This command is the most used command for adding toolpaths in IGEMS. .3. If you want to cut only some side of a part or a slit inside a part then you can use the command Quick..4. By using the command marking you can easily add information to various kind of marking devises.5. If your machine is equipped with a drilling unit, then this can be used for making start holes in material, but it can also be used to drill holes that not should be used for cutting .6. If the parts have long straight sides then you can save a lots of time by using Common Cut lines. IGEMS support two methods of common cutline. In this example you can cut the same parts on 37 minutes instead of 60 minutes .Ⅵ. Final stage, create the CNC-file:When you have all the parts located on cleaver locations on the sheet and the toolpath is added then just press the process button and select the parts. All the information are collected and processed, with this you can do several things:1. Create the CNC-file is the most used option. The CNC-file contains the movement instructions for the machine. IGEMS can make those files to all machines on the market2. The same information can also be used to make estimations for cutting cost and material cost. This is very important function in the sales stages .3. You can make reports. The reports can be generated in Word or PDF format. If you always want reports then you can set IGEMS to generate those reports automatically when you create the CNC-fil.4. You can also use the information for simulations. Two different types of simulations is possible 2D and 3D..Ⅶ. 5-axis cutting:The 5-axis cutting machine can be used for two major purposes. To obtain a straight cut on normal 2D parts or to make a cut in a special angle on 2D or 3D parts.Taper controlWhen you are cutting with a fast speed the edge of the part become more conical compare with cutting with a slower speed. The angle will be larger in thin hard material then in soft thick material. IGEMS can automatically adjust the nozzle tilt for actual speed so the final result will be a straight angle1. Some machines need longer time to cut with taper control than without. Of this reason we have a command to turn the TAC On/Off for each geometry on the part. In this case use only TAC on that geometries that are neededChamfering for weldingA lot of parts are produced that later should be welded together. Of this reason IGEMS have developed an easy way to make this kind of chamfers. We call this command Quick BevelChamfering with different angles You can make more complicated 5-axis part by using the Standard bevel command. In this case we first define the bevel and then cut the bevelRuled BevelWith this option you can define a complicated part from two geometry's. One geometry specify the upper profile and one geometry specify the lower profile3D to 5XIt's also possible to load a STEP, IGS or STL file made in a 3D-system and add the toolpath in 3DSpecial about Z handling on 5-axis cuttingWhen cutting with a straight vertical jet the exact Z-position of the nozzle is not that important as it is when cutting with a tilted nozzle. IGEMS have a method called measuring in advance. This method can be used if your machine have a laser or some other measurement tool that can be used on non-flat surfaces. The method only measure a few points on the surface and do an interpolation between this points in the CNC-controller during the cutting. The Z-coordinate are interpolated from the measurements, all other information are generated in the postprocessor and<372-measuringinadvance.mp4>372-measuringinadvance.mp4Ⅷ. Cutting in stone and ceramics:We have now covered the most general part of the software, we will now take a look at some special areas of waterjet cutting. The first we will cover is the stone cutting.Tile cuttingIGEMS have a special command for cutting tiles. .Inlay If you have a pattern of the inlay, then you can create the production information on a couple of minutes .Special handling of the piercingThe most kind of stone material need a special handling of the piercing (the start hole). It is a risk that the material get dammed specially on the bottom side. If you cut in glass then the class easily can get broken. If this case IGEMS can make all the start holes in a much lower pressure. To speed up the process all start holes can be done as a special stage before the real cutting start. Please look at this video that shows this simulation .Tube cuttingIGEMS support tube cutting on tubes in optional convex profiles. In this example will show cutting on a rectangular tube .CameraIGEMS have a camera function that have an advance scaling function. By mounting the camera above the machine. You can import a scaled image of the actual table layout. You can place the parts on the image. You never have to search for zero points, it will make the job very easy for the operator when using rest sheets <>.